A Haitian Heritage Month “Selebrayson" at Brooklyn Children's Museum

On Saturday, May 10, 2025, Brooklyn Children’s Museum welcomes Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX) back for a Haitian Heritage Month “Selebrayson!” The day’s program is also the culmination of their Ti Atis (Little Artists) program series at BCM, which has been running monthly since November 2024.

Ti Atis (Little Artists) Haitian Heritage Month Selebrasyon! will offer a joyful, immersive celebration of Haitian culture, packed with family-friendly fun featuring vibrant dance, hands-on arts and crafts workshops, captivating storytelling rooted in Haitian culture and traditions, and special guest artists and performers.

“Creative expression is one of the ‘stickiest’ ways to help young people learn about our world, because it creates unique and lasting memories,” said Kassandra Khalil, Program Director of Haiti Cultural Exchange. “Through HCX's Ti Atis series, using Haitian art and our heritage, we welcome future leaders to build a sense of appreciation for all our cultures and respect for our diverse New York community.”

“BCM is grateful for our partnership with Haiti Cultural Exchange and excited for our Museum’s inaugural Haitian Heritage Month celebration,” said Atiba T. Edwards, President and CEO of Brooklyn Children’s Museum. “We’ll be honoring Haiti’s vibrant artistic traditions and learning more about our Haitian friends, family members, and neighbors who live right here in Brooklyn and NYC. Join us for a day of creativity, movement, and community!”

Program Schedule for Saturday, May 10

@ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: BCM’s Rooftop Terrace
Percussionist Sky Menesky and dancer Alexandra Jean Joseph of Immamou Lele start the day’s celebration with Haitian dance and drumming! Get moving and learn about Haitian music by trying out traditional steps and body percussion.

@ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Location: BCM’s “Brooklyn Voices” Exhibit Space
Jaden Timoun will host a Krik? Krak! Haitian Creole oral storytelling session accompanied by song and movement.

@ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: BCM’s Commons Theater
Join Master Puppeteer Emmanuel Elpenord to build charming tabletop puppets and participate in sharing a silly Haitian folktale. Warm up your animal voices!

Ti Atis (Little Artists) Haitian Heritage Month Selebrasyon! will take place on Saturday, May 10 starting at 11:30 am. Tickets are $15 for general admission and grant access to all of the day’s programs. Tickets are free for children under one year-old. To purchase tickets, visit: https://www.brooklynkids.org/programs/ti-atis-little-artists/.

About the Artists

Sky Menesky and Alexandra Jean Joseph lead the musical and artistic direction for the Brooklyn-based group Imamou Lele, an ensemble of dancers, drummers, and vocalists sewn together in the spirit of Haiti.

Sky Menesky is an educator, percussionist, and cultural activist. He currently works as a middle school teacher in Brooklyn, New York, while hosting “The Sky Menesky Podcast.” The podcast is a sans-frontiere radio program committed to promoting, defending, and educating Haitians and non-Haitians on the importance of Haiti and advocating for cultural, economic, and political change in our community here within the diaspora. As the Music Director of the drum and dance ensemble Imamou Lele, Sky aims to protect and promote Haiti’s folkloric traditions and continue to preserve Haiti’s cultural heritage through traditional songs and drum rhythms.

Alexandra Jean-Joseph is an educator, dancer, and choreographer. As the Artistic Director of the drum and dance ensemble Imamou Lele, she currently produces cultural material and folkloric works of Haiti through traditional dance. As a mambo of Haitian Vodou, she strives to preserve the connection between Haitian Folkloric Dance and Vodou rites and to promote dance as an experience where spirit and art meet. She currently practices with her spiritual family at Le Temple D’Olohoum in Queens, New York. Le Temple D’Olohoum is dedicated to the observance of Vodou in its most religious aspect. It focuses on creating a physical, mental, moral, and spiritual environment for the practice of Vodou.

Co-founded by educators Darnelle Champagne and Wynnie Lamour, Jaden Timoun is a culturally responsive program that boasts an array of offerings, including interactive classes and fun language learning tools such as puzzles accompanied by informational guides and a Jaden Timoun storybook. Jaden Timoun’s Haitian Creole interactive classes include storytelling, dance, movement, singing, arts and crafts, games, guest artists, and diverse resources shared with families for extended learning outside of the Jaden Timoun space. From private sessions to group classes to parent consultations on bilingualism, Jaden Timoun has something to fit every family’s language learning needs. Jaden Timoun has hosted several storytelling programs and events, including ones at branches of the Brooklyn Public Library and the Wyckoff House Museum in Brooklyn, New York.

Emmanuel Elpenord is a Brooklyn-born, Coney Island-raised son of Haitians from Marchand Dessalines. His rising career as an actor, puppeteer, and voice-over artist spans nearly a decade to include credits off-Broadway, nationally, internationally, and New York City-wide. He received rave reviews in the original off-Broadway cast of Disney’s Winnie The Pooh (Rockefeller Productions); The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show; and many seasons of the Drilling Company’s Bryant Park Shakespeare. He also performs at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, a long-standing puppetry institution in New York City. He was in HCX’s 2023 Lakou NOU artist-in-residence program, Puppet Showplace Theater's 2023 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, and recipient of the Jim Henson Foundation's 2024 Family Grant. Emmanuel is thrilled to apply his passion and expertise to sharing this meaningful treasure of Haitian culture.

About Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Inspired by the energy and diversity of our borough, Brooklyn Children’s Museum creates experiences that ignite curiosity, celebrate identity and cultivate joyful learning. Founded in 1899 as the world’s first children’s museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is New York City’s largest cultural institution designed especially for families. Proudly based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, BCM serves 300,000 children and caregivers annually with exhibits and programs grounded in visual arts, music and performance, natural science, and world cultures. For more information, visit: www.brooklynkids.org.